P. I have lived in Silver Lake since 1998, and have always loved this neighborhood, especially back then when it was rougher, infinitely cheaper, more diverse and boasted such great events as the Sunset Junction street fair, which, in its golden years, was the best of its kind. I'm also close to Akbar, where I play Monday nights, and the bar which gave me my start, the tragically now-defunct Other Side. Silver Lake has always been centrally located, the freeways are close, and it's pretty easy to get anywhere in L.A. from here. I can also walk to the subway and to many restaurants, bars and cafes. Finally, despite the intense gentrification, the neighborhood still maintains its artistic buzz, as well as its natural beauty.

W.E. What distinguishes this new Indiscretions album from previous ones?

P. All of my albums have been quite different from one another...the first being cabaret, the third electronic, the fourth had a Turkish feel, and the fifth was piano centered. I do, however, think this is the most "fully realized", and I had the opportunity to play with several stellar musicians, some even in Portugal and Greece. I like the flow of songs, from beginning to end, and all the different genres represented on the album. I was raised listening to all sorts of music...what mattered was the song, what was irrelevant was the genre. A great song is a great song whether it is hard rock, a standard, country, R&B or a Greek folk song. What matters most is a good melody and of course the emotion. I have tried to achieve that feel on this album...a variety of genres strung together under a similar theme, that of traveling, ports, growing older and unrequited love. I am older now, and I know that with age we gain perspective. The machine that propels our popular culture shoves youth down our throats, but, unless one is truly exceptional, with youth comes lack of experience and perspective, and that comes through in a lot of our popular music. I am trying to go the opposite route.

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Will Engel is a music journalist with ten years of experience, writing for several publications including AXS.com, CBS Local, and The Independent. A graduate of Wesleyan University, he is a singer-songwriter who plays the piano and lives in Los Angeles. He can be found on WillEngel.com, Facebook, and Twitter.